1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a backlight structure and a display module, and more particularly to a backlight structure and a liquid crystal display (LCD) module.
2. Description of the Related Art
Display modules have been used in a variety of applications, such as lap-top computers, mobile phones, or personal digital assistants. For current and next generation of mobile applications, there is a strong demand for reducing the outline size of a display module while keeping a certain screen size thereof.
To meet this demand, the dead border is an important factor to be considered. Unlike the active area of a display module, the dead border is usually an area incapable of displaying, and sometimes is referred to as a dead area. The dead border is the area from outer edges of the active area towards the outline or outer edges of the display module. The active area and dead border together determine the outline size of the display module. Thus, in a case where certain active area is required, the dead border, or the dead area, of a display module determines the outline size of itself.
Various efforts have been made for reducing the dead border. For example, the dead border can be reduced by making the components of an display module smaller, such as by narrowing the width of a metallic frame which serves as an outer frame for a display panel, by reducing the size of a holder which supports the display panel, or by reducing the size of a backlight unit which provides light to the display panel.
However, there are some limitations in the abovementioned means. For example, reducing the component size of a display module may encounter problems in machining process, as well as in the rigidity or strength of the display module. In view of these limitations, it is possible that the components of a display module are at their allowable minimal sizes but the dead border of the display module is still too large to meet user's demand. Therefore, it is still an important issue for industry endeavors to reduce the dead border for a display module.